1 Gendering the Black Body: Race, Masculinity, and Violence in The

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

1 Gendering the Black Body: Race, Masculinity, and Violence in The Gendering the Black Body: Race, Masculinity, and Violence in the First World War Era By: Edith Ritt-Coulter A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment requirements for the degree of MASTERS OF HISTORY University of Central Oklahoma 2018 1 Acknowledgments I first and foremost would like to thank my husband, DaVuante Coulter, for accompanying me while I searched in the archives for the stories of William Brown and Bert Smith. He is the best research assistant a wife could ask for. Most importantly, I would like to thank Dr. Lindsey Churchill and Dr. Marc Goulding for their insight and mentorship over the past years. The combination of both their efforts has immensely shaped my work as a scholar and my endeavors. Through the guidance of Dr. Erik Huneke, I strengthened my understanding of gender studies and because of his input I have become a better scholar. I would also like to thank Heidi Vaughn, she taught me how to present my work in a way that is palatable to readers, which is critical in the field of lynching studies. To my father, Richard Ritt, thank you for always challenging my ideas and pushing me to articulate my arguments better. My children, Ayden, Jocelyn, and Evelyn, thank you for always supporting my school work even when all you guys wanted was to play with mommy. I appreciate my families enduring support and patience. Finally, my thesis would not have been possible without the services and efforts of the staff at several institutions. Loren Blake and Dr. Jennifer Harbour played a critical role in the development of my research regarding William Brown. Thank you, Loren in particular, for sharing my passion for Will’s story. When research got tough it brought me comfort knowing someone else was digging to find the same story. Thank you to all of the staff at the Douglas County Archives, W. Dale Library, Nebraska State Archives, Sterling Ross Library, Harris County Clerk Archives, Harris County Archives, Gregory School, Houston Public Library, and the University of Houston Archives who helped me locate all of the source material used in this work. 3 Abstract This thesis examines the phenomena of lynching through the lens of gender and identity by exploring social constructions of black masculinity in the United States. The US lynching culture that emerged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century specifically targeted black men based on notions of acceptable masculine behavior. Mainstream society characterized black masculinity as subservient to their white counterparts and restricted them into narrow ideas of gender performance. During the First World War, African American culture experienced a revitalization of political consciousness and identity, which challenged the hegemony of white men. Lynching became a tool to police liberated black masculine identity and to regulate the societal performance thereof. Using rarely utilized archival material, located in Omaha, Nebraska and Houston, Texas, this work studies the cases of Bert Smith and William Brown as examples of the physical manifestation gendered violence committed against African American men. Several key events contributed to the challenging of the established racial hierarchy including the Great Migration, African American military service, and the rise of Black Nationalist organizations. The significant cultural shift of this period created racial tension that was rooted in ideas of gender identity. I argue that the increase in lynchings during and after the First World War is the direct result perceived challenges to hegemonic white masculinity. Further, my work demonstrates that black acts of liberation were met with gendered violence in the form of lynching as an attempt to control African American men’s defiance of white notions of acceptable masculine behavior. My work contributes to the field of lynching studies because it goes beyond the established examination of African American men’s sexuality. My thesis adopts an intersectional approach through which historians can further dissect the influence of race, 4 gender, and identity on acts of violence committed against the black community in the United States. 5 “Gendering the Black Body: Race, Masculinity, and Violence in the First World War Era” Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………..7 Chapter one. Historiography……………………………………………………..11 Chapter two. Pursuing Manhood: African American Masculinity in the First World War Era…………………………………………………………………...31 Chapter three. I’ll Tell You What You Can’t Do: The Lynching of Bert Smith....45 Chapter four. What About Willie?……………………………………………….59 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..76 Appendix ……………………………………………………………………..…...80 Bibliography………………………………………………………………….…..84 6 Introduction In the fall of 2015, I started researching violence committed against African Americans in the US. The rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and the murders of several people of color including Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and Sandra Bland inspired me examine the societal structures that allowed these events to occur. During my research for an undergraduate class, I stumbled across a 1919 article from the Omaha Daily Bee with the headline,” Black beast attacks white girl.” The news article intrigued me and subsequently led me to investigate the gendered terminology used by the Omaha Bee. I originally began examining the media’s perpetuation of negative stereotypes associated with African American men, but quickly realized that there was a deeper cultural phenomenon occurring, lynching. During the era of westward expansion in the US, communities attempted to control “undesirable” elements of society by using lynching and other forms of extralegal violence. Various populations of people fell victim to lynch mobs but in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century this tactic was used specifically to incite fear among African Americans. Post- Civil War communities, particularly in the South, wanted to regain control over the actions of people of color. This led to the emergence of Jim Crow and the act of lynching became a violent policing mechanism. According the NAACP, between the dates of 1882-1968, 4,743 lynchings occurred. 3,446 of those acts of extralegal violence happened to black men and women. The discrepancy between the number of non-black victims and black victims of lynchings reveals a system of violence used to police the actions of people of color. The characterizations of lynching victims are heavily influenced by the white gaze, which often criminalizes them to validate their murders. White society’s perpetuation of negative representation of black identity 7 created a hostile environment for African Americans. The lynching of Bert Smith in Goosecreek, Texas in 1917 and of William Brown in Omaha, Nebraska in 1919 represent examples of innocent men being killed by lynch mobs. Their communities choose to ignore the humanity of Brown and Smith and in turn perpetuated false narratives regarding their character. After several years of immersing myself in the current scholarship regarding the history of lynching, I discovered a few explanations for the use of mob violence against African Americans. The most prominent reason given by society to validate the killing of black men was alleged assaults committed against white women. Previous historical analysis has overly scrutinized the sexual aspects of lynching and has ignored the role of gender performance and identity. The hyper-sexualized actions during lynching and the obsession with sexual misconduct are rooted in a larger gendered power dynamic between competing notions of masculinity. This reveals a racial hierarchy in the US that is defined by gender and race. The white-dominated social pyramid theoretically dictates what society views as an acceptable performance of one’s gender and race. My work contributes to the existing scholarship because it attempts to go beyond the “sexual assault” theory by examining the intersections of race, gender, and identity within the US lynching culture. This research adopts socialized body theories, gender performance theories, and power theories to expand upon existing lynching studies. This research includes several questions such as: What did society believe to be “respectable” black gender performance? How did the process of enslavement contribute to the development of US society’s perception of black gender identity? How does sexualized extralegal violence relate to black gender identity? Did the First World War era’s “fear of the armed black man” contribute to the lynching of William Brown and Bert Smith? What are the paradigms of power within the narratives of lynching? How did white society perform lynching? 8 What is the theoretical gendered black body? What do sexualized actions performed during lynching tell us about the intersections between race, gender, and the pursuit of power? What terminology did society use to describe black gender identity and the perceived “deviance” from acceptable behavior and what are the social impacts of gendered language? Through this scope of analysis I argue that African American men’s rejection of white ideas of acceptable black male gender performance resulted in lynching. Further, I assert that lynching is not only an act of violence but a fear tactic used to reinstate white notions of black masculinity and to stabilize the perceived racial hierarchy. The revitalization of black political consciousness and the social elements associated with First World War created several
Recommended publications
  • The Attorney General's Ninth Annual Report to Congress Pursuant to The
    THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S NINTH ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS PURSUANT TO THE EMMETT TILL UNSOLVED CIVIL RIGHTS CRIME ACT OF 2007 AND THIRD ANNUALREPORT TO CONGRESS PURSUANT TO THE EMMETT TILL UNSOLVEDCIVIL RIGHTS CRIMES REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2016 March 1, 2021 INTRODUCTION This is the ninth annual Report (Report) submitted to Congress pursuant to the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of2007 (Till Act or Act), 1 as well as the third Report submitted pursuant to the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016 (Reauthorization Act). 2 This Report includes information about the Department of Justice's (Department) activities in the time period since the eighth Till Act Report, and second Reauthorization Report, which was dated June 2019. Section I of this Report summarizes the historical efforts of the Department to prosecute cases involving racial violence and describes the genesis of its Cold Case Int~~ative. It also provides an overview ofthe factual and legal challenges that federal prosecutors face in their "efforts to secure justice in unsolved Civil Rights-era homicides. Section II ofthe Report presents the progress made since the last Report. It includes a chart ofthe progress made on cases reported under the initial Till Act and under the Reauthorization Act. Section III of the Report provides a brief overview of the cases the Department has closed or referred for preliminary investigation since its last Report. Case closing memoranda written by Department attorneys are available on the Department's website: https://www.justice.gov/crt/civil-rights-division-emmett­ till-act-cold-ca e-clo ing-memoranda.
    [Show full text]
  • Tom Dennison, the Omaha Bee, and the 1919 Omaha Race Riot
    Nebraska History posts materials online for your personal use. Please remember that the contents of Nebraska History are copyrighted by the Nebraska State Historical Society (except for materials credited to other institutions). The NSHS retains its copyrights even to materials it posts on the web. For permission to re-use materials or for photo ordering information, please see: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/magazine/permission.htm Nebraska State Historical Society members receive four issues of Nebraska History and four issues of Nebraska History News annually. For membership information, see: http://nebraskahistory.org/admin/members/index.htm Article Title: Tom Dennison, The Omaha Bee, and the 1919 Omaha Race Riot Full Citation: Orville D Menard, “Tom Dennison, The Omaha Bee, and the 1919 Omaha Race Riot,” Nebraska History 68 (1987): 152-165. URL of article: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/1987-4-Dennison_Riot.pdf Date: 2/10/2010 Article Summary: In the spring of 1921 Omahans returned James Dahlman to the mayor’s office, replacing Edward P Smith. One particular event convinced Omaha voters that Smith and his divided commissioners must go in order to recapture the stability enjoyed under political boss Tom “the Old Man” Dennison and the Dahlman administration. The role of Dennison and his men in the riot of September 26, 1919, remains equivocal so far as Will Brown’s arrest and murder. However, Dennison and the Bee helped create conditions ripe for the outbreak of racial violence. Errata (if any) Cataloging
    [Show full text]
  • Read Our Full Report, Death in Florida, Now
    USA DEATH IN FLORIDA GOVERNOR REMOVES PROSECUTOR FOR NOT SEEKING DEATH SENTENCES; FIRST EXECUTION IN 18 MONTHS LOOMS Amnesty International Publications First published on 21 August 2017 by Amnesty International Publications International Secretariat Peter Benenson House 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW United Kingdom www.amnesty.org Copyright Amnesty International Publications 2017 Index: AMR 51/6736/2017 Original Language: English Printed by Amnesty International, International Secretariat, United Kingdom All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers. Amnesty International is a global movement of 3 million people in more than 150 countries and territories, who campaign on human rights. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. We research, campaign, advocate and mobilize to end abuses of human rights. Amnesty International is independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion. Our work is largely financed by contributions from our membership and donations Table of Contents Summary ..................................................................................................................... 1 ‘Bold, positive change’ not allowed ................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Department of Justice and the Limits of the New Deal State, 1933-1945
    THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE LIMITS OF THE NEW DEAL STATE, 1933-1945 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND THE COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDIES OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Maria Ponomarenko December 2010 © 2011 by Maria Ponomarenko. All Rights Reserved. Re-distributed by Stanford University under license with the author. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 3.0 United States License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/ This dissertation is online at: http://purl.stanford.edu/ms252by4094 ii I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. David Kennedy, Primary Adviser I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Richard White, Co-Adviser I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Mariano-Florentino Cuellar Approved for the Stanford University Committee on Graduate Studies. Patricia J. Gumport, Vice Provost Graduate Education This signature page was generated electronically upon submission of this dissertation in electronic format. An original signed hard copy of the signature page is on file in University Archives. iii Acknowledgements My principal thanks go to my adviser, David M.
    [Show full text]
  • INFORMATION to USERS This Manuscript Has Been Reproduced
    INFO RM A TIO N TO U SER S This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI film s the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be fromany type of con^uter printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependentquality upon o fthe the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and inqjroper alignment can adverse^ afreet reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note wiD indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one e3q)osure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photogr^hs included inoriginal the manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for aiy photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI direct^ to order. UMJ A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 313.'761-4700 800/521-0600 LAWLESSNESS AND THE NEW DEAL; CONGRESS AND ANTILYNCHING LEGISLATION, 1934-1938 DISSERTATION presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Robin Bernice Balthrope, A.B., J.D., M.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring the Black Wombman's Sphere and the Anti-Lynching Crusade of the Early Twentieth Century Deleso Alford Washington [email protected]
    Florida A&M University College of Law Scholarly Commons @ FAMU Law Journal Publications Faculty Works Summer 2006 Exploring the Black Wombman's Sphere and the Anti-Lynching Crusade of the Early Twentieth Century Deleso Alford Washington [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://commons.law.famu.edu/faculty-research Recommended Citation Washington, Deleso Alford, Exploring the Black Wombman's Sphere and the Anti-Lynching Crusade of the Early Twentieth Century, 3 Geo. J. Gender & L. 895 (2002) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Works at Scholarly Commons @ FAMU Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons @ FAMU Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EXPLORING THE BLACK WOMBMAN'S SPHERE AND IE, AN I LYNCHING CRUSADE OF THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY DELESO ALFORD WASHINGTON* This paper will explore the black' wombman's intersection ' of race, class, and sex during the early twentieth century, specifically as it relates to the pursuit of federal anti-lynching legislation. The black wombman's sphere is self-defining, in that she is "bone black" 3 with a womb, having the ability to create and protect life, both biologically and figuratively. My central focus will be on the courageous efforts of black women to protect life by virtue of nommo,4 which means power of the spoken word. The black wombman's nommo created a unique sphere, unlike the "woman's sphere" at the dawn of the nineteenth womanhood, the ideal woman was seen not century, which "in the cult of true 5 only as submissive but also gentle, innocent, pure, modest, and pious." However, the stark realities of the multidimensional impact of racism, sexism and classism imposed upon the black wombman did not afford her the status of an 'ideal woman,' thus the black wombman defined her own sphere.
    [Show full text]
  • Incredible Injustice: Lynching in the Southern United
    INCREDIBLE INJUSTICE: LYNCHING IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES By RODERICK T. STEPHEN A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Wake Forest University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN LIBERAL STUDIES May 2010 Winston-Salem, North Carolina Approved by: Dr. Anthony Parent, Ph.D., Advisor _______________________________________ Examining Committee: Dr. Mary Dalton, Ph.D., Chair _______________________________________ Dr. Earl Smith, Ph.D. _______________________________________ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like thank Dr. Parent for serving as my advisor on this thesis. His guidance, insight and inspiration have been a great help. I truly appreciate his hard work. I would like to thank Dr. Parent, Dr. Smith, and Dr. Dalton. It was each one of their courses that lead me to the book Without Sanctuary and truly heightened my interest for this topic. I would also like to thank my lovely Fiancé. Without whom none of this would have been possible. iii VITA May 16, 1980…………………………..Born – Jackson, Tennessee 2003…………………………………B.A. History, Wake Forest University 2005-present……………….….…….Pursuing Master of Liberal Arts Degree, Wake Forest University iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgments………………………………………………………… ii Vita………………………………………………………………………... iii List of Illustrations………………………………………………..……….. v Abstract…………………………………………………………..………... vi Chapters: 1. Introduction…………………………………..…………………..………………. 1 2. Historical Origins of Lynching; Racial Hostility……………..………………….. 6 3. Historical Cases of Lynching; Continued
    [Show full text]
  • The Florida Terror: Race Relations in the Early Twentieth-Century
    The Florida Terror: Race Relations in the Early Twentieth-Century Summary Many years before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s brought nationwide attention to the plight of African-Americans in the South, racial violence was a fact of life. Many whites held firm to an unwritten code that demanded brutal punishment for individual blacks, or entire communities, that “stepped out of line.” In this lesson, students will: read about race relations in the post-WWI years and the Ku Klux Klan; explore individual incidents of racial violence in Florida before the Civil Rights era; and create annotated maps/timelines of these incidents. Objectives Students will: 1) Understand how demographic changes after World War I led to strained relations between whites and blacks in the North and the South; 2) Read an account of the origins and reformation of the Ku Klux Klan, from the early 1900’s to the present; 3) Explore five incidents of racial violence from 1920 to 1944. U.S. History Event This lesson could be used within the context of any unit on the 1920’s, including racial unrest in the post-WWI years and the nativism movement. It could also be used as am opening lesson to the Civil Rights Movement. Grade Level This lesson can be implemented in a middle school or high school American history classroom, but because of the sensitive subject matter may be more appropriate for high school. Materials AAA AutoClub maps of Florida (optional), maps of Florida found at http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/maps/state/64000.htm (optional), a transparency of the lyrics to “Strange Fruit,” a transparency or copies of one of several pictures from http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/african/2000/lynching.htm , one copy of Reading Passage #1 and Reading Passage #2 for each pair, one copy of Exhibits A-E for each pair, one copy of “Matrix for Information about Florida Racial Violence” for each student (or pair), Lesson Time This lesson can be completed in one block period.
    [Show full text]
  • Nannie H. Burroughs' Rhetorical Leadership During the Inter-War Period
    ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: NANNIE H. BURROUGHS' RHETORICAL LEADERSHIP DURING THE INTER-WAR PERIOD Ann Michele Mason, Doctor of Philosophy, 2008 Dissertation directed by: Robert N. Gaines Department of Communication Although frequently praised for her rhetorical abilities and widely recognized as an influential leader in the African-American community, Nannie Helen Burroughs' speeches and writings have been the subject of little scholarly treatment. The quest for freedom and equality in America, Burroughs believed, would be satisfied through individual and collective struggle, and while she never advocated directly the use of physical force, she often evoked martial themes—using terms such as battles, enemies, crusades, weapons, and sacrifice—along with ideas related to movement and progress, to motivate action among African-Americans. These ideas, complemented by her stylistic tendencies, inspired continued action during a time when basic citizenship rights seemed out of reach for many African-Americans. This rhetorical tendency seemed most strategic during the 1920s and 1930s, a time when African-Americans experienced a renewed and seemingly coordinated assault on their identity as American citizens. They found their constitutional right to vote threatened, their social and economic status weakened, and their identity as American citizens undermined. Burroughs would skillfully combine various styles of discourse to match her rhetorical goals and the demands of the audiences she addressed. More specifically, she employed a clear, vivid, energetic style to awaken and enlist African- American audiences, to empower politically, provide vision, and to rehabilitate identity during the period between the two world wars. NANNIE H. BURROUGHS' RHETORICAL LEADERSHIP DURING THE INTER- WAR PERIOD by Ann Michele Mason Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland at College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2008 Advisory Committee: Professor Robert N.
    [Show full text]
  • A Bare Bones History: Lynching in Manatee County
    ., . ,.: .... A Bare Bones History: Lynching in Manatee County By: Hailey Erin Praught A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the University Honors Program University of South Florida, St. Petersburg Augu st 5, 2009 Thesis Director: Julie Armstrong, Ph . D. Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences ·, . ·· · ~ University Honors Program University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Florida CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL Honors Thesis This is to certify that the Honors Thesis of Hailey E. Praught has been approved by the Examining Committee on August 11, 2009 as satisfying the thesis requirement ofthe University Honors Program Examining Committee: CWbArww~ Thesis Director: Julie Armstrong, Ph.D. Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences Thesis Committee Member: Hugh LaFollette, Ph.D. Cole Chair of Ethics, College of Arts and Sciences .. ··· ~ Table of Contents Introduction p. 4 Chapter One: Lynchings in Manatee County p. 13 Chapter Two: Lynching: A National Pastime p. 26 Conclusion p. 43 Works Cited p. 46 Illustrations: Figure 1 p. 33 Figure 2 p. 37 ~- -r- .. ~---=-==- ·, ....... Introduction This thesis examines lynchings in Manatee County. Most Florida residents associate Manatee County with the scenic Manatee River, sea cows, the festive Hernando-Desoto Parade, cattle or the beauty in developing the land. But, this wonderful place also has a dark past, secrets hushed by shame and time. This history includes Will English, a black man shot to death on the Fourth of July, 1912; the deaths of six unidentified black men in 1896; the lynching of Henry Thomas, also a black man, March 9th, 1903 and the many other gruesome racial murders that live on the memories and pasts of Manatee County's inhabitants.
    [Show full text]
  • Florida Historical Quarterly
    COVER Travelers disembarking from one of Pan American Airways’ clippers at Dinner Key in the 1930s, which is now the site of Miami’s city hall. The old Pan Am terminal now houses city offices. Photo courtesy of the Historical Association of Southern Florida, Miami. THE FLORIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY Volume LXII, Number 1 July 1983 COPYRIGHT 1983 by the Florida Historical Society, Tampa, Florida. Second class postage paid at Tampa and DeLeon Springs, Florida. Printed by E. O. Painter Printing Co., DeLeon Springs, Florida. (ISSN 0015-4113) THE FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY Samuel Proctor, Editor Earl Ronald Hendry, Editorial Assistant EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Herbert J. Doherty, Jr. University of Florida Michael V. Gannon University of Florida John K. Mahon University of Florida (Emeritus) Jerrell H. Shofner University of Central Florida Charlton W. Tebeau University of Miami (Emeritus) J. Leitch Wright, Jr. Florida State University Correspondence concerning contributions, books for review, and all editorial matters should be addressed to the Editor, Florida Historical Quarterly, Box 14045, University Station, Gainesville, Florida 32604-2045. The Quarterly is interested in articles and documents pertaining to the history of Florida. Sources, style, footnote form, originality of material and interpretation, clarity of thought, and interest of readers are considered. All copy, including footnotes, should be double-spaced. Footnotes are to be numbered consecutively in the text and assembled at the end of the article. Particular attention should be given to following the footnote style of the Quarterly. The author should submit an original and retain a carbon for security. The Florida Historical Society and the Editor of the Florida Historical Quarterly accept no responsibility for state- ments made or opinions held by authors.
    [Show full text]
  • Article Title: the Industrial Workers of the World in Nebraska, 1914-1920
    Nebraska History posts materials online for your personal use. Please remember that the contents of Nebraska History are copyrighted by the Nebraska State Historical Society (except for materials credited to other institutions). The NSHS retains its copyrights even to materials it posts on the web. For permission to re-use materials or for photo ordering information, please see: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/magazine/permission.htm Nebraska State Historical Society members receive four issues of Nebraska History and four issues of Nebraska History News annually. For membership information, see: http://nebraskahistory.org/admin/members/index.htm Article Title: The Industrial Workers of the World in Nebraska, 1914-1920 Full Citation: David G Wagaman, “The Industrial Workers of the World in Nebraska, 1914-1920,” Nebraska History 56 (1975): 295-338. URL of article: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/1975-3-IWOW_1914-1920.pdf Date: 3/13/2010 Article Summary: Between 1877 and 1917, as the United States become the world’s leading industrial nation, power became centralized in the hands of a few individuals, and life for the working classes became increasingly unbearable. A movement termed the Industrial Workers of the World developed from three working-class elements: Negroes, immigrants, and Native Americans forced off the land. The I.W.W. is thought to have increased wages, shortened hours, and bettered working conditions in the Midwest. The wobblies were considered radicals and were very controversial, which
    [Show full text]